Applying for Residency
The process of applying for residency begins on July 1st as students begin their 4th year and with the opening of the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), an online application sponsored by the AAMC. The application process follows a national timeline and continues actively for students until the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) ranking closes in mid-February. National results of this application and match process are announced during Match Week, the third week of March each year.
Questions you may be asking yourself
- How much time does the application process take?
- Do I need letters of recommendation? From whom?
- When should I submit my application online?
- What if I can’t decide between two specialties?
- How many programs should I apply to?
- How many interviews do I need?
- How many programs should I rank?
- Will I need to submit a transcript?
- Who do I go to for advice?
Who will help answer these questions
SOM Career Advisors, Sarah Thomson and Linh Ngo, can help you with career decision-making, understanding the process of deciding whether you need a Plan B, writing a personal statement, writing a CV, providing tips for interviewing for residencies, the general variables in deciding how many programs to rank etc.
Departmental Career Advisors (listed in the Career Advisors FAQ) can help you with specific tips for your specialty, help evaluate your competitiveness and the competitiveness of various residencies, help you secure interviews, guide you on how many residencies to apply to, give you specific advice on how many programs to rank etc.
Sarah Wood, Student Affairs, is the UW coordinator of the residency applications, ERAS, NRMP and MSPE. She can answer questions such as: How much time does the application process take? Are my letters of recommendation uploaded? Will I need to submit a transcript? When can I submit my application?
Seven Golden Rules from your Career Advisors
3. Apply to programs that you have a reasonable chance of getting into.
4. Apply to enough programs.
5. Talk to a UWSOM Career Advisor if you don’t get at least 10 interviews.
6. Rank enough programs.
7. Have a plan B for competitive specialties.
Click on the following links for important information on the Residency Application Elements
- Residency Application Process: General information about the residency application process.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Personal statement
- Letters of Recommendation
- MSPE
- Submitting Applications – How many programs do students apply to?
- Scheduling time off for interview season
- Interviewing for Residencies
- Avoiding SOAP